Hydraulic roll oscillating device



Sept if), 1966 w. F. WARD 3,272,947

HYDRAULIC ROLL OSCILLATING DEVICE Filed Nov. 20, 1963 FIG. 2. I6

/32 WILL/AM E WARD INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent 3 272 047HYDRAULIC Ron. OS CILLATING DEVICE William F. Ward, 1706 Kurtz Ave.,Lutherville Md. Filed Nov. 20, 1963, Ser. No. 324,926 3 Claims. (Cl.83-338) This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for severingsheet material, and particularly such apparatus wherein severing isobtained by impressing a cutting blade against sheet material which isrestrained by a resilient backing member.

A machine operating in this manner is a rotary die-cut machine. In thismachine, the resilient backing member is a rotating roll having aresilient covering, such as of polyurethane, and the cutting blade is aserrated blade mounted on another rotating roll and impressed againstthe surface of the resilient covering. While eflicien-t severing ofsheet material, such as cardboard, is obtained, the repetitiveimpression of the cutting blade on the same line along the surface ofthe resilient covering results in the damage thereof and to thus requirethe expense of machine downtime and replacement of the resilientlycovered roll.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide asevering apparatus such as described but with a resilient backing memberhaving extended life.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an arrangementfor a resilient backing member in which fresh portions thereof arebrought into contact with the cutting blade.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide amechanism for longitudinally shifting the resilient covered roll inrelation to the cutting roll of a rotary diecut machine.

These and other objects of the present invention will be come morereadily apparent by reference to the following description andaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a rotary die-cut machine incorporatingfeatures of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view along line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the electric and hydraulic circuitryshown in FIG. 1.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a rotary die-cut machine is generallydesignated as and it comprises a frame 12, of which one side only isdepicted, and a pair of rolls 14 and 16 rotatably mounted within theframe. Roll 16 is provided with a covering of resilient material androll 14 is provided with a cutting blade 15 extending from its lateralsurface and having its cutting edge impressed against the surface of theresilient covering of roll 16 for severing of sheet material passingbetween these rolls.

According to the present invention, roll 16 is longitudinally oscillatedor shifted with respect to the cutting blade 15 of roll 14 so as topresent a fresh resilient surface thereto. This oscillation is obtainedby driving the journal shaft 18 of roll 16 in a like motion withinjournal housing 20 by electric and hydraulic means which will now bedescribed.

An electric motor is provided with its driving shaft 22 having a pulley24 mounted thereon and a driving belt 26 which, in turn, drives thehydraulic pump 30 by means of a pulley 28. Hydraulic fluid is suppliedto a reversing valve 34 through a pump output line 32.

As shown in FIG. 3, the reversing valve 34 is provided with a pair ofsolenoids 36 and 38 and a pair of hydraulic lines 40 and 42, with thedirection of hydraulic fluid flow through these hydraulic lines 40 and42 being reversible according to actuation of a slidable valve plug 35by the solenoids 36 and 38.

The hydraulic lines 40 and 42 are connected to opposite ends of adouble-acting hydraulic cylinder 44 which includes a piston 46 and apiston rod 48 extending from each end of the hydraulic cylinder 44.

The direction of movement of the piston 46 is determined by which of thehydraulic lines 40 and 42 is supplying hydraulic fluid under pressure tothe hydraulic cylinder 44. The remaining line of the hydraulic lines 40and 42 is communicated by means of the reversing valve 34 with returnhydraulic line 50 and sump 52 which, in turn, supplies hydraulic fluidto the pump 30 through a pump intake line 54.

The inner end of the piston rod 48 is connected directly to the adjacentend of the shaft 18 of roll 16 so as to translate the longitudinalmotion of the piston 46 directly thereto. Reversal of the motion ofpiston 46 and thus oscillation of roll 16 is obtained by means of astriker plate 56 mounted at the opposite end of the piston rod 48 and apair of switches 60 and 62 which are positioned upon mounting plate 58.Mounting plate 58, in turn, is mounted to the outer end of the hydrauliccylinder of the double-acting hydraulic cylinder 44.

The switches 60 and 62 are spaced for actuation by the striker plate 56to determine the limits of its travel and thus the amplitude ofoscillation, by means of the electrical connection of the switches 62and 60 with the solenoids 36 and 38, respectively, of the reversingvalve 34.

In operation, the longitudinal oscillation of roll 16 is donesimultaneously with the passage of sheet material between the rolls 14and 16. A representative amplitude of oscillation, as determined byswitches 60 and 62, is 5 per revolution of the cycle of the machine sothat instead of the cutting blade 15 bearing continuously on a width ofthe resilient covering corresponding to the width of the cutting blade,the wear of the resilient covering is distributed across the entireamplitude of longitudinal shift.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. In a rotary die-cut machine for cutting of sheet material, a pair ofrotatably mounted rolls, one of said rolls having a resilient coveringand the other of said rolls having cutting means impressed against thesurface of said resilient covering for severing of said sheet materialwhen passed between said pair of rolls, a double-acting hydrauliccylinder having one end of its piston shaft connected to one end of theshaft of said one roll for longitudinally oscillating it with respect tosaid other roll, a source of hydraulic pressure, a pair of hydrauliclines for supplying hydraulic fluid to said hydraulic cylinder, areversing valve for reversing the direction of hydraulic fluid flowthrough said hydraulic cylinder to obtain the longitudinal oscillationof said one roll, a pair of spaced switch means for defining the limitsof said longitudinal oscillation, striker means mounted on the oppositeend of said piston shaft for alternately actuating said spaced switchmeans, and solenoid means energized by said spaced switch means toreverse said reversing valve in response to the alternate actuation ofsaid spaced switch means by said striker means.

2. In the rotary die-cut machine of claim 1 wherein said reversing valveincludes a slidable valve plug, the sliding movement of which isactuated by said solenoid means.

3. In the rotary die-cut machine of claim 2 wherein said solenoid meansconsists of a solenoid spaced from each end of said slidable valve plug.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS ANDREW R. JUHASZ,Primary Examiner.

1. IN A ROTARY DIE-CUT MACHINE FOR CUTTING OF SHEET MATERIAL, A PAIR OFROTATABLY MOUNTED ROLLS, ONE OF SAID ROLLS HAVING A RESILIENT COVERINGAND THE OTHER OF SAID ROLLS HAVING CUTTING MEANS IMPRESSED AGAINST THESURFACE OF SAID RESILIENT COVERING FOR SEVERING OF SAID SHEET MATERIALWHEN PASSED BETWEEN SAID PAIR OF ROLLS, A DOUBLE-ACTING HYDRAULICCYLINDER HAVING ONE END OF ITS PISTON SHAFT CONNECTED TO ONE END OF THESHAFT OF SAID ONE ROLL FOR LONGITUDINALLY OSCILLATING IT WITH RESPECT TOSAID OTHER ROLL, A SOURCE OF HYDRAULIC PRESSURE, A PAIR OF HYDRAULICLINES FOR SUPPLYING HYDRAULIC FLUID TO SAID HYDRAULIC CYLINDER, AREVERSING VALVE FOR REVERSING THE DIRECTION OF HYDRAULIC FLUID FLOWTHROUGH SAID HYDRAULIC CYLINDER TO OBTAIN THE LONGITUDINAL OSCILLATIONOF SAID ONE ROLL, A PAIR OF SPACED SWITCH MEANS FOR DEFINING THE LIMITSOF SAID LONGITUDINAL OSCILLATION STRIKER MEANS MOUNTED ON THE OPPOSITEEND OF SAID PISTON SHAFT FOR ALTERNATELY ACTUATING SAID SPACED SWITCHMEANS, AND SOLENOID MEANS ENERGIZED BY SAID SPACED SWITCH MEANS TOREVERSE SAID REVERSING VALVE IN RESPONSE TO THE ALTERNATE ACTUATION OFSAID SPACED SWITCH MEANS BY SAID STRIKER MEANS.